


Ninjago: The Nya Perspective

by lialia15



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Childhood Trauma, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Ninja, Protective Siblings, Romance, They all need therapy, Unresolved Trauma, nya is a badass, teenagers being dumb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-01-15 16:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21256559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lialia15/pseuds/lialia15
Summary: Kai and Nya were doing just fine on their own, thanks. But now there's skeleton armies and lava and cute boys and - well, things are upside down. Nya's not sure what's going on, but she wouldn't trade it for the world.Or - Ninjago, but in the perspective of our favorite badass girl.





	1. I'm Trying, I Swear

A/N: yo! i've been into this show for a while now (like . . . six years . . .) so i thought i'd try my hand at fanfic for it. ninjago, everyone!

but from primarily nya's perspective! most of it is wildly AU, especially the first few chapters. anyhow. enjoy!

oOo

Nya knows she's being dumb. She knows she's only ten and there are lots of other people that have it way worse than her, so she should stop being a big dumb baby about this. But as she watches her brother drag their two lonesome suitcases outside, Nya really wishes she was someone else.

She doesn't remember much of her early childhood. Her first memory is barely a flicker. An image of a woman's face, with loving eyes and a warm smile — the kind of smile that makes you feel bubbly inside. It's a good memory, Nya thinks. After all, she's pretty sure the woman was her mother.

Everything after that is weird, though. She can't picture her parents in her head, she has to rely on the handful of photographs that Kai's hung on to over the years. There's a hazy memory of her father reading a story about dragons. Nya remembers a lot of loneliness and nightmares, rough hands and less-warm smiles. She doesn't remember home, either. The only home she knows now is Uncle Liam's one-level house on the outskirts of Ignacia, where the only entertainment is cow-tipping and alcohol.

Of course, Nya and her brother were too young to drink. Liam wasn't, though, and that had turned out to be a problem.

Nya doesn't remember her parents because they died when she was three years old — or so she'd been told. It makes sense, she supposes, since they've never come back and it's been a little over seven years. Parents didn't just disappear like that. Maybe. Probably.

Well, at any rate, Kai tells her that their parents are gone, and she believes him.

The two of them have been living with Liam since Nya was a toddler. She can't imagine life outside here, though she assumes it's probably way better. Almost anywhere would be better than here. The only thing she has to occupy herself is the bookshelf in the living room, stocked full of interesting books that she wasn't supposed to touch.

Books about building things and cooking. Some had stories in them, with magical creatures and exciting adventures. Liam taught her how to read, but, "Don't mess with my stuff, kid." Stupid Liam with his stupid drinking problem and his stupid temper. He'd never been the gentlest man, and certainly not the most friendly. She wondered, often, if he was really related to them at all.

Once, when Nya was eight, Liam had come home acting strangely, and Kai told Nya to hide in their room (a glorified shoebox of a space, crammed off the side of the hallway). She did, of course, but she could still hear everything going on outside the door. And later that night, when she'd caught sight of the bruise around Kai's left eye, Nya knew things were taking a turn for the worse. Kai wouldn't let her help, though.

"It's fine," he always said. "Can't even feel it!"

Liam came home drunk more and more as the years went by, and he was never in high spirits. He shoved Kai around and yelled at him and threw books across the room when Kai yelled back. Nya always sat with her back pressed to the bedroom door, listening with wide eyes, heart pounding against her ribs. Kai was always doing stupid stuff like standing up to Angry Liam. Nya respected him for it. But she was also terrified for him.

There was nothing she could do, Kai said. If she tried to help, she'd be in trouble, too. So Nya stayed put, curled up in the patch of moonlight on the floor, hands slapped over her ears.

Until—

Well. Until things got inexplicably worse, just about two days ago.

Liam came home much later than usual, banging open the front door with a heavy shove. The sound woke the siblings, who'd been sleeping in their shared room, but they didn't think much of it. Liam's rampages were old news. He'd probably go straight to bed anyway.

They were wrong.

Ten blissful seconds of silence were shattered by an abrupt pounding on the bedroom door. Nya pulled the blanket up over her head. Kai shifted on her other side.

"Kai! Open the damn door, you little brat! I wanna know why you left this mess in the kitchen!"

When Liam was drunk, he never slurred words or stumbled over his own feet. He just got mad. Mad about the tiniest things. Things like the two plates still sitting in the sink from when Kai and Nya ate dinner earlier. They probably should've known better than to leave them there, now that Nya thought about it.

"Hey. Hey! Come clean this up! Kai!" There was a solid thud on the door that resembled a powerful kick, so Kai heaved a sigh and rolled out of bed, hair scruffy, eyes tired.

Nya poked her head out of the covers.

"Where are you going?" she whispered frantically.

Kai turned to her. "I'm just gonna go—take care of that. I'll be really fast. Stay here, okay?"

Nya frowned, but nodded.

Kai was gone for one minute. Two. Four. And the voice outside the bedroom grew louder. Liam screamed a lot of words that Nya probably wasn't supposed to know, and Kai, for once, said nothing back. Liam seemed to be mad about that.

"You and your sister are dumb as a doornail, aren't you?" Liam hollered.

Doornail? That was a new one. But Nya understood "dumb" and she narrowed her eyes because rude.

"C'mon, boy. You mute, too? Usually can't getcha to shut up. Well come on, answer me!"

No reply from Kai. Nya carefully pushed the blanket back, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her toes met cold hardwood.

"I said answer me!" Then something shattered.

Nya's heart nearly flew out of her throat as she rushed to the door and yanked it open. She dashed to the kitchen and stopped short. Kai was standing by the sink, hands up over his face like he was—

Like Liam had—

Nya's eyes went to the floor. White shards of Chinaware lay scattered near Kai's feet. Pieces of a plate.

Nya's blood boiled.

Liam turned to her. "Get in there," he demanded, finger pointing at the bedroom. "Right the hell now."

She wanted to. Nya would've loved to turn and run the other way, but her brother was wiping a trail of blood from his temple, and Liam just looked so punchable—

"What'd I say, kid? Room. Now."

"No." Barely a breath of a word.

"What'd you just say to me?"

"I said no," Nya said, louder. Eyebrows low and angry, she stepped in front of Kai, forcing herself to look Liam in the eye. She felt one of Kai's hands touch her shoulder.

"Nya," he hissed. "What are you—"

Liam's face was turning an alarming shade of red. He leveled a finger at her.

"Your brother is a big boy, he can answer for himself," he said. "Back to your room."

"You're hurting him," Nya said.

"It's called discipline, kid, and I can discipline you, too, so step aside."

Kai's elbow poked at her back, silently urging her to make a break for it, but she couldn't move. It's not that Kai couldn't defend himself — he totally could. But this jerk did not get to throw plates at her brother. This had gone on for far too long, and if Kai wasn't going to stop it . . .

Nya felt confident for about two more seconds. Then all at once, Liam grabbed her left arm and pulled her out of the way, letting go as she yelped and fell sideways. Her head hit the edge of the counter, and she lay there stunned, blinking back stars.

He just—did he actually just—?

Maybe a few years ago Nya would've cried about it. But she was too old for that, now. Now it was time to be mature and do the adult thing. So she bit down on her lip and tried to ignore the new ache spreading across her skull.

But as Nya was sitting up, one hand rubbing her head frustratedly, she saw Kai lunge at their uncle and the two of them toppled over. Nya's mouth fell open.

"Get off!" Liam bellowed, rolling on his back. Kai was wildly scrambling to maintain his grip, being tossed back and forth; their arms locked around each other as they tumbled across the kitchen floor with malicious vigor. Nya's brain finally caught up to the events taking place, and she was behind Kai in an instant, tugging at his pajama shirt.

"Kai! Stop. Guys, stop!"

One way or another, someone was going to get seriously injured. Nya pulled and screamed until finally, the two brawlers split apart, staggering in different directions. Kai was swiping at an ugly cut under his eye, and Liam had a few nasty-looking scratches across one cheek. They faced each other angrily, looking almost ready to go at it again. In a moment of blinding impulse, Nya reached down and snatched a big piece of the broken plate. She brandished it at Liam threateningly.

"Back off," she said.

Kai watched her with wide eyes. The Chinaware wasn't enough to do any serious harm, but it was jagged and would definitely hurt a lot, she knew that. Slowly, Nya edged her way between Kai and Liam, still holding the broken shard out in front of her chest. Her expression held no room for contradiction.

And at last, Liam turned swiftly and stomped into his own room down hall, making sure to slam the door extra loudly behind him.

As soon as he was out of earshot, the siblings visibly relaxed, and Nya let the plate shard drop to the floor again. Her head was throbbing, now that she wasn't being distracted by appalling amounts of adrenaline.

Kai raked a hand through his hair. "Nya—I can't believe—I mean—that was dangerous."

"I don't care." She realized that was true. "He's a bully. Bullies don't get to mess with my brother."

Even though her heart was still pounding at an insane rate, Nya was feeling great. She liked standing up for Kai—and herself. It felt amazing. Like . . . like letting go of a massive weight for the first time. Sure, there were still broken plate pieces all over the floor, and she'd probably have to sweep that up now, but hey. That air of accomplishment was worth it.

But the next day, Nya woke up to Kai throwing clothes into an open suitcase.

"What are you doing?" she asked, blinking sleep from her eyes. It certainly hadn't been the most restful night she'd experienced.

Kai didn't look up. "Packing."

"Why?"

"We're leaving."

Nya tried and failed to process this. Leaving? As in, leaving the house? For good? They couldn't do that. Where else would they live? Would they have to sleep on park benches and steal hotdogs from people, like in those movies Liam watched sometimes?

"Are we coming back?"

Kai chucked a red tennis shoe into the growing pile. "Heck no."

Frowning, Nya kicked off the sheets and slid to the floor, kneeling next to her brother. He zipped up his suitcase and dragged another one out of the closet, letting it fall over sideways. They must've belonged to Liam, since Nya was pretty sure she'd never owned a suitcase in her life. What was the point, anyhow?

At length, she said, "Where are we going?"

Like it was obvious, Kai met her eyes and said, "Home."

So that's why, another day later, Nya is standing in the driveway with her arms wrapped around herself, squinting against the chilly wind that whips her long hair around. Kai is dragging a suitcase in each hand, all the way to Liam's truck, where he hoists them up and tosses them in the trunk. Liam comes up behind Nya, eyebrows scrunched in the middle.

"You two won't last a week," he says. Nya wants to turn around and kick him where the sun absolutely does not shine.

Ten minutes later, she's sitting in the backseat of the truck, knees pulled up to her chest, while Kai gawks out the window at the passing countryside. He seems so sure that they're going to be fine. Nya is . . . not excited at all. Yes, living with Liam was miserable, but it's better than living nowhere at all. At least Liam's house has a roof and books and working AC.

She trusts Kai, though. If he says they're going to be fine, it must be true. Kai's almost thirteen, he's responsible. She's responsible, too. It won't be perfect, but maybe she'll get used to it. No angry men banging on the door late at night. No yelling.

When Liam pulls up to their new/old home, Nya presses her face against the window. It's . . . admittedly small, not really much to look at. Just a simple, boxy home, with some thatched awning jutting out on one side. That must be the blacksmith shop Kai always talks about. He says the two of them are going to run it and make money to support themselves.

Nya isn't so sure about that.

The siblings hop out of the truck and grab their belongings. Liam tosses Kai a slightly rusty key and says, "Don't come crying to me when this doesn't work out."

Kai makes a face. "We won't, don't worry."

The truck drives away.

As Kai fiddles with the lock and key, Nya glances around at the surroundings. Just like the house, it's not much to look at. There's lots of winding roads and knobby hills, with patches of farmland scattered throughout. Land slants drastically downwards on one side, dropping into a low ravine of some sort. The sparse trees are a fresh spring green. It's quiet.

Do they have any neighbors? Probably not. She can't see any other houses from here. There's some white dots off in the distance—maybe sheep? Looks like the closest residence is a while away. Nya suddenly feels very small.

"Got it!" Kai yells, and he swings the door open. It creaks with years of weathering, but Nya forgets her worries for a moment because this is the house she lived in as a little kid. It's where her parents worked and ate and slept and raised her and Kai. A distinct sort of sadness lingers in the air drifting out from inside, like the memories were still there, waiting to be cherished again.

The rest just smells like dust and stale bread.

The siblings stand by the doorway, not quite inside.

"Who's first?" asks Kai. His voice is unnaturally quiet.

Nya sure as heck isn't about to walk in there alone, not when it's all dark and spooky. Normally Kai would offer to do the scary thing, but today he looks—nervous. So Nya grabs his hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

"We go together," she decides.

As one, they enter. Without any proper lights, the room is hard to see, and cobwebs hang from every corner and crevice. It's probably ten degrees colder than outside. Dusty furniture cast long shadows across the floor, and a chill creeps up Nya's arms.

"Feels like home," Kai offers, glancing around.

"Feels cold."

They spend the rest of the day fixing up the house, lighting lamps and sweeping the floors. When Kai's done with the broom, he hands it to Nya.

"Knock down some of those webs," he says. Nya makes a disgusted face, accepting the proffered broom with one hand. She wants to object, but Kai is already wandering around the house to open up the windows, so she just sighs and glares up at the spiders surely hiding in the corners.

Later that night, Nya finds herself standing in the doorway of a tiny room in the hallway. There's a little bed inside, probably not big enough to fit her anymore. Red curtains hang from the window, looking thick with dust and weathered at the bottom. Kai is off somewhere unpacking, so she steps inside the room and feels an odd sensation sweep over her.

It's her old bedroom, isn't it? She feels it. The bed could've fit a five-year-old Kai, but the far wall is painted to showcase a scattering of butterflies, spreading out from the center in a spiral. Who painted this? Her mom? Nya runs a finger over the painting, wondering if her mother had touched it too at some point. The chill comes back, but sadder this time. Less cold and more . . . lonely.

There are no photos on the little bedside table. No mirror or clothes or toys. Nothing from the life Nya could've had - the one she wishes she'd had. Does she have to sleep here tonight? Man. Nya can't remember the last time she'd slept somewhere away from Kai. Sure, he'd just be down the hall probably, but still. Shoulders slumped, Nya accepts this information glumly.

She likes the house, don't get her wrong. It's nice. It belonged to her parents, and that's . . . something to hold onto. But the idea of living here with just Kai? No adults? The two of them would be shouldering every responsibility, miles away from any proper civilization. It's like the world keeps growing bigger and Nya is only getting smaller and smaller.

"Boo," says Kai from behind her.

The sudden voice sends Nya jumping a good six inches in the air, and she whirls on Kai.

"Don't," she says. "Geez." There isn't much heat in her voice, though. Just an unwelcome little tremble that betrays the emotion she's trying so hard to hide right now.

"Hey, you okay?" asks Kai. He steps up closer, eyes concerned. Nya feels a lot warmer, just by standing next to him. Kai's like a mini furnace. Always has been. But heat is the last thing Nya cared about at this point.

His hand goes to her shoulder when she doesn't answer.

"We're gonna be fine. You know that, right?" Kai nudges her gently. "Promise."

"Why are we here?" Nya finally asks. "We don't have money, food, electricity . . ."

She hears Kai sigh softly. "We're here because Liam's house was dangerous. And—you deserve better than that. You deserve to grow up somewhere with . . . opportunity."

Slowly, her brain processes that. What opportunities does this place have, exactly? If anything, they'll be worse off than they were before. Again, she thinks of their new financial situation. Where will they get money? Surely blacksmiths don't make much for a living, why else would her parents have lived in this little rustic space instead of somewhere bigger?

As if reading her mind, Kai says, "We have money."

Nya raises one eyebrow, challenging. "Where?"

"Right here." From his pocket, Kai whips out a black leather wallet, cash poking out of the folds. Nya's eyes go wide. That wallet belongs to Liam.

"You didn't."

"Oh, I did." Kai pockets the wallet again. "It's enough to get us started. We'll get the shop running again, no problem. I'll teach you how to do everything."

Ugh. Nya fights the urge to make a face, because blacksmithing is probably the last thing she's interested in doing. She already knows all about it—she read all sorts of things in books. Who wanted to spend hours heating metal and hammering it into dumb tools, anyway? Booooriiiiing.

"Found your room, huh?" Kai asks, glancing around curiously. "I barely remember this. Wow." Suddenly, like he's just remembered, Kai gasps. "Oh, hey, c'mere." He starts off into the hall.

"What, why?"

"I found something."

She trails Kai into a different room, this one shrouded in shadow with the windows all covered. A king-sized bed is crammed into one corner, an antique-looking vanity in the other. Their parents' room.

Kai pulls Nya over to the mirror, gesturing around like a ringmaster in his grand circus.

"Check this out," he says. "It's almost like they're still here. We look like them."

As Nya peers into the dusty glass, she has to admit he's right. They're just younger, slightly shorter versions of their mom and dad. Weird. And a little creepy. Nya doesn't like it very much.

Kai sighs, joining her again. "I came here for a fresh start. Now we don't have to be what Liam wants us to be. We can be . . . whatever we want."

It's a profound statement from her usually-airheaded big brother, so Nya feels compelled to take those words to heart. But just as she's starting to feel better about everything, Kai yanks a drawer open to pull out a pair of glinting scissors.

Instinctively, Nya backs up.

"Wanna go first, or should I?" he asks, holding the scissors out to the side.

Appalled, Nya's mouth falls open. "Wha—Kai, we're not cutting our hair, that's stupid—"

By way of reply, Kai turns to the mirror and starts hacking at his brown waves, no method to it at all. Nya yelps, grabbing for the scissors and failing, only able to watch, horrified, as Kai finishes. His hair is now a mess of jagged locks, poking out of his head like . . . well. Nya is reminded of a porcupine that stuck their foot in a power socket.

Kai models for her, jokingly, running a hand through the new style. The uncertainty vanishes from his eyes almost immediately.

"That's what I'm talkin' about," he says.

He likes it? Of course he would, he's crazy. No way is she letting him do that to her hair, not in a million years--

"C'mon, Nya," he begs. "We can be new people now! You always said you wanted something to change. Well, here's your chance."

Biting her lip, Nya gazes at her reflection, absently twirling one long strand of hair around her finger. Kai's acting like hair is a symbol, like it represents something else. Their past, their parents . . . and Nya doesn't like the idea of it. But now that he's done it . . . something inside her is jealous. She wants to be someone new. She wants a change.

"Hair grows back, I guess . . ." she mumbles, still looking unsure.

Kai hands her the scissors. Both his eyebrows go up. "Now or never, sis."

Tentatively, as if they might bite her, Nya takes the scissors and steps closer to the mirror. She pulls all her hair over one shoulder, grasped in one hand. The other hand opens the scissors. When she has them in the position she knows she wants, Nya squeezes her eyes shut.

Snip.

One eye cracks open. Then the other one. Nya's jaw falls.

Her hair is short. Like, above her shoulders short. Whoa, wow, yikes, she looks different!

One hand reaches up to run her fingers through it. It's lighter and much shorter and she barely recognizes herself, but—

"Looks great," Kai smiles, nudging her shoulder. "Ready to start over?"

For the first time that week, Nya nods with confidence.


	2. In Which Nya Adopts a Kitten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AKA The Siblings Adjust to Living Alone and Nya Hits Cam Meyers with a Board.

**A/N: heyo! new chapter already because i had a lot of fun writing this one. kai and nya are hopelessly adorable, i rest my case.**

**updates will probably end up being kinda weekly? i haven't figured out a writing schedule yet, but i'm gonna try my best! not like i've been writing this during english class when i should be typing assignments! that'd just be . . .** **crazy . . .**

**enjoy,** **fellas!**

The first night in their new environment is rough. Nya tries to sleep in her own room, she really does. After all, she's ten now, and that's definitely old enough to survive a night with Kai right next to her. She's gonna be _mature_, gosh darn it.

But later that night, when the moon is high in the sky, Nya wakes up, her pulse hammering much faster than what is normal. She blinks, remembering where she is and that it was only a dream. The dark doesn't freak her out. No way. That's dumb. 

_Stop being a baby. Woman up._

So she does, burrowing back under the covers, convinced she is beyond the days of being scared of the dark. That's behind her now. She's ten.

She lasts one more minute.

Nya rips off the blanket, scrambling out of bed and making a beeline for the door. Screw maturity, she's _lonely _and she _can't sleep. _Being ten is overrated anyways!

Just as her finger grazes the knob, the door swings open, nearly slamming her in the face. She yelps, throwing an arm up to maybe block an attack from whoever had broken into their house—

"Geez, Nya, it's _me_," Kai says, sounding worn out, but slightly amused nonetheless.

She lowers the arm, relief washing over her.

"Sorry," she says. Nya almost launches into an explanation about why she's awake, but Kai beats her to it. He reaches up to scratch the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Ah . . . so, here's the thing." He laughs resignedly. "I, uh . . . couldn't sleep. The room felt so big, and I just—"

Kai catches sight of Nya's expression, even through the hardly-existent lighting. She must look surprised, because he backtracks. 

"Never mind, it's stupid," he says, relenting and making a move to turn and leave. Nya springs to life.

"No, don't go!" she all but yells. Kai turns to gawk at her. Good thing they don't have any neighbors, because all of them would've just woken up.

"I—I mean—you _can _go, if you want, but I—well—" She rocks back and forth on her heels, hoping Kai will maybe just read her mind so she can get this over with. What kind of ten-year-old can't sleep in a room by herself? Kai must think she's weak or stupid or childish—

"Actually . . . wanna head to my room? Just—ya know. It's empty. I'm not used to it yet."

A smile splits across Nya's face. "Uh, yeah. Sure. Cool."

"Cool."

Closing the door behind her, Nya trots after Kai in the hallway until they reach his room. They crawl into his bed together, curling up contentedly. Nya still feels immensely grateful that Kai didn't want to be alone, either. Not that she needs her big brother to feel safe or happy or anything, pssh.

. . . Well. Okay, maybe she just _prefers _his company to being by herself.

Eh. Whatever. Either way, Nya knows she'll sleep much better now.

oOo

Months pass. Kai, true to his word, gets the shop running again, _somehow. _He spends every day standing at the forge, sparks flying and hammer swinging. Nya wonders where he learned how to do any of this. It must be a miracle of some sort, because Nya had so many doubts that she could've written a novel about them.

But they're getting customers. Not _many_, but it's enough to buy food and, you know, stay alive. That's good enough for her!

Kai doesn't let Nya do any actual smithing yet, which she has mixed feelings about. It's not like she wanted to in the first place, but now that she's not allowed, Nya _wants_ to pound some metal. Just to prove that she _can_, thank you very much. But Kai holds firm, and she lets him have his way.

He does let her work the counter, though. It's not as fun as working with _fire_, but hey, Nya's not complaining. At least she has something to do now.

Their customers are not exactly frequent, but every now and then, someone wanders up to the shop curiously, and she's gotten a lot better at talking to people. Today, Nya is absently fingering her still-very-short hair, twirling it around as she stares at the horizon. Behind her, the sound of clanging metal rings out, and sometimes Kai makes irritated noises.

(He's not the best blacksmith, but she'll never tell _him _that.)

A figure is suddenly in front of her, hands in pockets, glancing around. Nya starts a little, straightening up and trying to look a few years older than what she is.

"Good morning!" she chirps. "What can we do for you today?"

It's an older man, maybe in his late fifties. His slightly-graying hair and warm, brown eyes give him an approachable look. He smiles at her.

"Never thought I'd see the day," says the man. Slowly, like he's in awe, he surveys the shop, eyes lingering on the weather-beaten sign in front. "Hasn't changed a bit."

"Um." Nya falters. The script Kai made her memorize doesn't exactly cover situations like this one, what's she supposed to say?

The man is looking at her quizzically, like she's someone he recognizes. "Have your parents returned?"

Something like a brick drops in Nya's stomach as she fumbles for a reply. Parents? _Returned_? Who is this guy? Does he know her parents? Does he know what happened to them?

Wait, no. Clearly he doesn't know _anything_, otherwise he wouldn't be asking _her_.

"I, uh . . . they're . . . dead, sir," Nya finally manages to force out. The man's face falls.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Before he can say anything else, Kai materializes at her side, probably alerted by her prolonged silence. He glares.

"Who are you, exactly?" he says. Nya wonders how much of the conversation he heard.

The man ducks his head a little, chuckling. "Ah, sorry. Name's Walter Pine. Used to be a regular around here, when your parents were running things."

Some of the suspicion fades from Kai's expression. It's replaced by barely-contained interest. "You—you knew them? Our parents?"

"Sure did. Ray was a good friend of mine, back in the day. I'm sorry about what happened." Walter's gaze flicks from Nya to Kai and back again. "God. You two look just like 'em."

A little flutter of pride bursts to life in Nya's stomach. She looks like her mom. She _looks _like her _mom_. She likes this guy already.

"Living with a relative?" Walter asks, tone more serious, like he's hoping they'll say yes.

To his credit, Kai only hesitates for the barest or seconds. "Yeah. Our uncle."

Walter nods, subdued. "I see. You wanted to get the place runnin' again, huh? Your uncle help you out?"

"Sometimes. He's uh, not around much."

Maybe it's sympathy, or maybe it's just general concern, but Walter gives them a little smile and glances around one last time. It's obvious he doesn't really believe Kai, but he has enough tact to let the matter drop for now.

"Well, hey. If you two ever need anything, all ya gotta do is ask. I live right over the top of that hill." Walter points across the winding stone road, referencing the patch of green farmland that always has sheep grazing in it. Nya's heart soars. Their closest neighbor is a family friend! Good to know.

"Thanks, Mr. Pine," Kai says, sounding grateful.

"Walter," the older man replies, smiling ruefully. "And no problem. Anything for Ray and Mya's kids." He turns then, walking calmly down the road, hands in his jacket pockets. Kai and Nya share a glance, exchanging silent observations. At least they're not alone here. The thought is comforting.

So yeah, sometimes the weeks go well. Sometimes Nya has a long string of good days all in a row, but she knows better than to assume it'll last. She's spent enough time around Liam to know a few good days doesn't really mean much.

The bad days usually come sneakily. They pounce on her when she's least expecting them. For instance . . .

Every week, Kai and Nya have to make the three mile journey to the Ignacia market for food and material, which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't have to _walk. _Neither sibling can drive, and they're too young anyway, so they close the shop for a day and head out down the road.

Nya thinks it's kind of lame that they have to go together, since it blocks their business off for a whole day. But Kai won't leave Nya there alone for a day, because _dangerous_, but he also won't let Nya go to town alone, because _dangerous. _So she's stuck making the trip once a week, whether she wants to or not.

To be honest, Nya hates town. Especially the marketplace. There's just so many _people_. And—not that it's relevant, of course—she hates seeing other kids wandering around _with _parents. Well—maybe it makes her a little jealous.

Okay, a _lot _jealous.

It makes rocks form in her stomach, which is not only severely uncomfortable but also very _sad. _If she just doesn't _think _about her parents, usually she can pretend she doesn't care. But things like this? They make Nya realize she _does_, in fact, care.

Kai, apparently, doesn't have this problem, because he just grabs her hand and marches right through the crowds, seemingly oblivious to the stares they're getting. And the whispers.

_Where are their parents?_

_Are they lost?_

_Are they looking for someone?_

The whispers just make Nya angry. Her life is none of anyone's _dang business_, so leave her alone, gosh. She and Kai are doing perfectly fine without adults in their lives, they don't need any dumb supervision. What's everyone so worried about?

But despite all that . . . Nya can't help the little pang of sharp longing that hits her when she sees families strolling past. She can't help it, but she can _ignore_ it, so that's what Nya does.

Nya likes to feel strong. Feeling weak is one of her biggest fears, maybe because she _grew up _with the knowledge, the constant reminder that weakness would get her in trouble. Stand up for yourself. If they hit you, hit 'em back.

Well, that's what Kai always told her. It's worked, so far.

Unfortunately for her, today is one of the bad days.

As Kai is tossing apples into a bag, Nya wanders away a little, drawn in by an abrupt raise of voices that caught her attention. Her eyes scan the market, looking for a sign of what's going on. The noise is coming from—from over _there_.

Steps a little faster now, Nya ducks behind a stack of barrels and finds herself standing at the mouth of a corner alleyway, brick walls lining either side. Right in the middle, four boys her own age are surrounding a younger, skinnier boy.

"What're you gonna do about it, Aiden?" one of them asks.

"He's prob'ly gonna _cry_," says another.

Nya can't see what's going on from where she's hiding, but from what she _hears_ . . . this sounds like something bad. Probably something an adult is better equipped to handle.

So, naturally, she takes matters into her own hands.

"Hey!" she barks out. But that's all she's got, and now all five boys are looking at her and she doesn't have a follow-up statement. Where was the wit when she needed it, geez.

"_What_?" one boy hisses, and now that she's a little closer, she can see that she's the shortest one here, which is . . . not helping.

"What's going on?" she asks, directing the question to the smallest boy in the middle—Aiden, was it?

Aiden steps forward, encouraged by her appearance. Clearly he'd been crying, though, because his voice is still wavering as he speaks. "I found this cat—and they were—they were trying to _kick _it."

Nya's eyebrows shoot up as she peeks around Aiden, and sure enough, there's a little orange kitten curled up near the wall, ears pressed flat against its head. It's so small that it could fit in Nya's two hands. At this point, it can't even defend itself. And this kid was just trying to help. Nya feels something angry bubbling in her stomach.

She whirls on the taller boys. "Why would you do that? What'd the cat ever do to _you_, huh?"

One boy scoffs, tossing an amused glance at his friends. They laugh.

"Awfully tough, arn'cha?" he says. "We don't listen to little girls."

_Little_? Nya knows she's maybe on the shorter side, but _little_? That's pushing it a bit. Her hands curl into fists at her side.

"Leave 'em alone," she orders, stepping between the cat and the four boys. Aiden shuffles over to stand next to her, which makes her feel a little better, even though he doesn't look any stronger than her.

"Or what?"

"Yeah, or _what_?"

Two of the boys shove Nya aside and pick up the kitten, letting it dangle by the scruff of its neck. Nya grabs for it.

"Put it _down_!"

They don't listen. They laugh louder as Nya tries harder, jumping up and down to reach the poor cat, but nothing is working. Aiden watches with wide eyes.

"Come and get your kitty," one boy taunts. "C'mon, shorty, can't you reach?"

"Jump higher next time!"

"Oh—almost had it!"

Their teasing blurs into static between Nya's ears. She stops trying and steps back, tears building up as she bites down on her lip.

Why is she so _useless_, this is impossible. She should've walked away when she still had some dignity left. Now the boys are laughing at her and Aiden is waiting, expecting her to do something.

She tried to help and she failed.

Never mind this whole thing.

Nya stomps away, squeezing her eyes shut at the hoots from the boys.

_Come on, Nya, you're better than that. You scared Liam away but you can't even handle some dumb boys._

She's pathetic.

As she hurries for the alley's entrance, Nya imagines what Kai would say about this. His voice rings in her ears.

_Seriously? Quitting already? You're not a baby anymore. Get back in there and finish this._

"Shut up," Nya mutters to Kai's voice in her head.

Just before leaving the scene behind, something makes Nya pause. She hears the boys shouting and laughing, and from the corner of her eye she sees them tossing the kitten back and forth like a ball. Rage ignites in her again.

Aiden is still doing his best, calling out, "Stop! Guys, I'm serious, _stop_!" It's not working.

Absently, Nya eyes a broken board lying close to her feet.

_Maybe . . . no. No. Nya, just leave. Just go._

But she stays. And when Aiden makes a pained grunting sort of sound, Nya turns just in time to see him stumble backwards into a muddy puddle, the other kids laughing because they pushed him. 

Nya _hates_ people that_ push_ other people. 

Yeah, she's _mad_ now.

Caution thrown to the wind, Nya picks up the board and spins right around, running all the way over to the boys and vaulting right onto the tallest one's back. He yelps. Aiden's mouth falls open in astonishment 

"Hey—hey, _get off_!" He whips around all over the place, jerking Nya in every direction, but she's _sick _of these kids and she's not done yet.

Before the other guys can move a muscle, Nya cracks the board down on the tall boy's head. With a surprised gasp, he topples over, landing hard on the smooth dirt. Easily, Nya rolls off of him and snatches up the kitten, tossing the broken board at the nearest boy.

"I _said_, leave. Them. Alone."

Newly inspired, Aiden grins and hops over to stand by Nya again. They don't look like much, but Nya isn't that scared anymore. The boys are looking at her like she just grew a second head, which means she's successfully established her dominance here. Feels good. 

From her arms, the kitten mews appreciatively.

Ha. She showed them. And she'll show them again if she has to, because _man _did that feel great. Kai would be so—

"_Nya_?!"

She jumps a little at the voice. Kai's voice. He's squeezing through the opening she'd crawled through, but it seems like it's more difficult for him, since he's slightly bigger. Finally, with an annoyed grunt, Kai strides over, looking much older than he really is.

"What's this?" he demands, casting a threatening glare over the group of boys. When no one says anything, Nya pipes up.

"They were pickin' on this kid. And this cat." Fondly, Nya holds up the tiny kitten, which squirms a bit in her grasp.

One of Kai's eyebrows goes up as he looks her over. Seeing that she's unharmed, he turns to the other kids and gestures abruptly.

"Well _go on_, get outta here!" he yells. Like the flick of a switch, the four boys are gone in a blink.

Maybe Aiden is set on edge by Kai's (rather intimidating) presence, because he punches Nya lightly on the shoulder and says, "Hey, thanks." He takes off in a flash.

Nya is left standing there with that little ball of orange fluff, and Kai's looking at her with an odd expression.

"Whaaat?" Nya asks, putting on her best _I'm innocent _face.

"What did you do?" Kai sighs wearily.

"Nothing."

Kai glares skeptically and Nya caves.

"Okay, they were being really _mean_, and what was I _supposed_ to do? Stand there and let 'em mess with that kid? Or this _kitten_?"

Kai tilts his head back and groans. When he meets her eyes again, there's a new emotion there. Not that she should make assumptions, but—she's pretty sure Kai looks proud.

"Fine. You're off the hook, for _now. _We need to head back, before it gets late."

Giving her one last _I'm watching you _look, Kai starts out of the alley, shaking his head amusedly. He could be such a _mom _sometimes. Not that Nya would know, or anything, but still.

Also . . . she can't leave the alley.

Kai notices she's not following and peeks back at her. "Come on," he says. "What're you waiting for, a golden invitation?"

Nya shifts uncomfortably. See, the thing is . . . she's kinda still holding the kitten, and she thinks it might've fallen asleep, and she just doesn't have the heart to put it down. But she's also way too scared to ask Kai if she can keep it.

Thankfully, Kai beats her to the subject.

His eyes light up with realization when he looks down at the kitten she's cradling. He winces.

"Nya . . . we can't take it home."

Her whole mood takes a dive off a cliff. "But - we can't just _leave_ it here!"

Kai tries to open his mouth and say some other lame, responsible stuff, but Nya rushes over and holds up the kitten, right in front of his face. 

"Look at it!" Nya pleads. "Look how small and cute!" 

"Nya -"

"You're saying you would_ abandon_ this poor kitten? On _purpose_?" 

When Kai stutters, Nya knows she has him trapped. And when she gives him her best shiny, begging puppy-dog-eyes, he doesn't stand a chance. He at least tries, though, standing there with his arms crossed, like it's supposed to make him look authoritative. 

Finally, after a maddening stretch of silence, Kai shakes his head and frowns. "Ugh, _fine_. We can keep it for a little while, but then you gotta find it a new home, okay?"

Nya beams, bouncing forward for a quick hug.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she blurts out. The kitten stirs quietly in her hands and Nya stops moving, remembering not to wake it. 

So, she gently sets it in the pocket of her jacket and follows Kai back up the winding stone road, all the way home.

During the walk, Nya can't decide what to feel, exactly. Sure, she stood up for that kid, and she informally adopted a kitten, but the events before that replay in her mind, over and over again. It's not fun. Nya's reminded of the feeling she'd been exposed to - anger and guilt and helplessness. 

She hates it. Feeling weak sucks, and she doesn't ever want to deal with it ever again. So it's right then that Nya decides she's going to do something about it, someday. Someday, when she's old enough, she's gonna help people. And the bad guys will be scared of _her_, not the other way around. 

It's more of a passing thought than a solemn vow, but Nya keeps it locked away in her subconscious, knowing it'll come in handy one day. 


	3. Kai Tries Adulting

**A/N: here we are again, everybody. sorry it's been a while since the last update? anyone still around?**

**i wasn't sure about this chapter, i kinda wanted to go back and alter it, but . . . i couldn't make** **myself do it, okay? nya needs a father figure in her life and i'm gonna ****_give it to her. _**

**anyway, here's this!**

oOo

Life as a blacksmith is hard, but life with a kitten is even harder. That's the mindset Nya develops over the next week, when she has to keep one eye on that cat at all times. Kai looks like he wants to say, "I told you so," but miraculously, he keeps that to himself. Nya can still see it in his expression, though.

Days pass. Kai's birthday comes and goes without much celebration, but he's finally thirteen, which means his ego is that much bigger now. Nya's birthday isn't for another two months, but he still holds that over her head.

"Now I'm _three _years older than you," he claims proudly, smirking. Nya doesn't have the heart to tell him that's not how it works.

They're getting more customers now, which is good and bad. Good, because this means more money, which makes survival a whole lot easier. And bad, because Kai can't singlehandedly deal with a workload like that.

Thankfully, Nya has a solution.

"Let me help!" she offers one day, as Kai clangs diligently at a long strip of metal, the midday sun beating down on the thin awning.

Kai doesn't look up. "No."

"Please?"

"No."

Nya sighs dramatically, draping herself across the anvil. Kai yelps, jumping away when he nearly pounds her in the head.

"Nya, what the _heck_! Get off, you could've gotten hurt—"

"You're no fun," Nya mumbles, sliding down onto the ground. She makes sure to keep sighing at regular intervals, louder each time, until Kai whips around and nails her with a glare.

"_What_."

Nya shrugs innocently. "I dunno, if you let me help, this could be done a lot faster, don'cha think?"

"You're literally _ten_, I'm not just gonna hand you a hammer and say, 'Here ya go, go crazy, sis!'"

Frustratedly, Nya nudges Kai's leg with her foot. "Why not?"

Her brother throws his head back, forcing out a weird laugh that ends in a sort of groan.

"Okay, fine. _Fine_. C'mere. I'll teach you the _basics_, but that's it."

Nya refrains from pointing out that Kai himself only knows the basics, so this whole deal is a little faulty, but whatever. She can help! She can feel useful!

"Okay, so, take this," Kai says, handing her the hammer. "Then hold it like—yeah, move your hand a little. Yep. But don't—"

Nya swings the hammer down on the metal, sending golden sparks flying in every direction, including dangerously close to Kai's hair. There's a screech from his direction, and Nya turns around to see what the problem is.

"Okay, okay that's exactly what we _don't_ wanna do," Kai says, clearly losing patience already. "Just—stick to the counter today, alright?"

Oh, _heck_ no. She's not done yet, he doesn't get to change his mind that quickly. Lucky for Nya, she knows exactly how to keep Kai on the right track. Switching tactics, Nya grins, playfully poking Kai in the shoulder.

"You're just scared I'm gonna be_ better_ than you," she mocks.

"Wha—! No, no—that's crazy. I'm not—"

Nya dances around Kai, flapping her arms and letting out a torrent of undignified chicken noises. Kai tries to shoo her away, but he only lasts another few seconds before he breaks, just like she knew he would. Kai's patience is the only thing shorter than her, apparently.

"Fine, blacksmith competition, now!" he says sharply, herding her over to the second anvil off to the side. Of course he's gonna make her use the _lame_ anvil. Kai always says the surface is too bumpy, so he hates using it, but she'll have to deal. Her spirited brother could never resist a good competition.

"What're we making?" Nya asks, excited.

Kai's barely listening to her. "Sword. Start. Now."

Squealing giddily, Nya grabs the nearest tools and sets to work, calling up all the instructions in her head. She's seen Kai do this a hundred times before, it can't be too difficult. Plus, if he's actually worried she'll be better, she might as well prove him right.

So Nya pays no more attention to Kai, because she's focused on fashioning a fully-functioning sword out of bits and pieces. She hammers the metal with careful precision, flinching a little at the sound, but mostly just grinning from ear to ear because _HA, she's making a sword!_

When it's the basic shape she wants, Nya hauls it over to the forge and holds it there, slowly turning it back and forth, watching the flames reflect off the metal in a brilliant orange glow. She would be content to watch this all day, but Kai is still in the corner, talking to himself as he works on his own project. Nya can't waste time.

Somehow, when Nya pulls the sword from the fire, it's perfectly melted _just _enough, she _knows _it. So then it's back to hammering, with more force than before. Making swords is _hard _but it's _fun_. There's no way Kai's gonna win this now. He's beyond screwed.

And he knows it, too, because he glances over at her and lets out a gasp. It's one of his _oh, crap, this is bad _gasps that means she's _winning._

Times passes quicker when you're blacksmithing, that's what Nya decides. Soon, she's slamming her hands down and yelling, "Done!" at the same time as Kai, and they spin around to face each other.

Kai's eyes go wide when he looks at Nya's sword, silver and beautiful, smoothed into a perfect curve. The handle is decorated with a swirling piece of metal that wraps around in a pattern that resembles a vine, tiny leaves carefully molded and placed for detail. Kai blinks.

His sword isn't bad, truthfully, and it's evident that he really did put effort into it. But the hilt is slightly crooked, and the blade isn't exactly as smooth as it could be . . .

Nya has definitely won. But, uh . . . how does she say that without dashing Kai's pride against the rocks? His ego is balancing precariously here, what should she do?

Kai crosses his arms over his chest, squinting appraisingly.

"Touché, sis," he says.

Now it's Nya's turn to blink.

"I—what?"

"You win." Kai's laughing now, not angry at all. "Man. Looks like I underestimated ya."

At first, this praise confuses Nya, because since when does Kai let someone _else _win? Who is this person and what has he done with her brother? But then she decides to just accept it today, since it may be _years_ before it happens again. Compliments from Kai are rare indeed.

"I—thanks! Is it good?"

Kai looks like he's about to say yes, but then his expression shifts a little and he says, "Well—I mean, it's—ya know. Pretty average."

_Aaaaand he's back._

But he reaches over to ruffle her hair and wink, and Nya smiles, knowing exactly where she stands. The title of Best Family Blacksmith rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it. Yeah, she feels pretty good about herself.

"Think it'll sell?" Nya asks, gesturing to her creation.

Kai grabs the sword and sets it aside. "Don't sell it!"

"Wha—why not?"

"Because it's—well besides being totally average, it's—kinda cool." The admiration slips through his tone. "Keep it. It's your first one, it's special."

Huh. Maybe he's got a point. She _is _remarkably proud of it, and someday it'll be fun to find it and remember it was her first sword. She'll probably be much better at smithing by then. Hopefully.

"Okay."

Running the shop goes much more smoothly after that, because now Kai (begrudgingly) lets Nya make weapons and tools sometimes. They rotate jobs accordingly and find out that Kai is actually a much better people-person than Nya is, so he works the counter more. She works the forge more often as a result, and life is swell.

Except . . .

Living on their own is . . . meh.

There's a little thought in the back of Nya's head, mostly silent but always present, telling her this is very weird. Kids don't normally live by themselves, running a family business and being—generally alone. She supposes it happens sometimes, but it's hard not to get bitter. It's hard to stop thinking, _But why'd it have to happen to us?_

It'd be nice to have parents, maybe. She imagines they'd be pretty helpful. The things she knows about parents aren't extensive, since she wasn't old enough to appreciate them at the time, but. Ya know.

On slow days, Nya sits on the cramped kitchen floor, flicking around little pebbles and watching the kitten chase them. She unofficially names it Allie, after the place she was found (_alley, _ha, Nya feels clever) though she's not sure if the cat is a girl. Kai says there are ways to check, but Nya's not exactly comfortable with any of them.

Kai's so busy with the shop that he's practically forgotten the kitten even exists, which means Nya isn't worried about having to give it up anytime soon. Besides, it's nice to have a friend, even if it _is _only an animal. So what? At least Nya's not bored anymore.

Soon, she turns eleven, and Kai gives her a book about mechanics that he must've bought when she wasn't paying attention. She's thrilled.

"You're the only eleven-year-old on the _planet _that cares about machinery," Kai says, shaking his head. But he flashes her a smile anyway, reminding her that (secretly) he actually thinks her interest is kind of refreshing. And he's right! Nya _does _care about machinery, she thinks it's complex and interesting and fun to look at. All the moving parts and detailed components! She could look at them all day. Kai is fascinated by her excitement.

The end of summer closes in, and fall is on its way. Kai makes a few solo trips to town so he can find material to keep the house warm. They have a fireplace and a furnace, but there's really only heat in the living room and forge. The bedrooms are almost always cold, and don't even get Nya _started _on the bathroom. Their hot water is limited, and Kai likes to use all of it.

One day, while Kai is out at the market, Nya wanders around and stumbles across a closet near the kitchen. There are packed boxes inside, along with random cleaning supplies and weird adult-things like lightbulbs and wire.

Nya finds some blankets in there and yanks them out. They're dusty, but she'll shake them out later when Kai gets back. She's not supposed to leave the house when he's gone, because apparently she's only old enough to be home alone and _that's it._

Whatever. As Nya hauls the blankets to her room (Kai doesn't need them anyway, he's his own heater), Allie tags along, playfully swatting at Nya's heels the whole way. As always, Nya's room is mostly dark, except for one lamp burning on the desk. When they'd first moved in, they assumed there wouldn't be any lightbulbs around, and Kai hadn't thought to buy any. But there are some in the closet . . .

_Hmm._

Dumping the blanket load on her bed, Nya skids back into the kitchen to raid the closet. A few minutes later, she emerges with her arms full of lightbulbs, tinfoil, batteries and string.

When Kai comes home later, he calls her name throughout the house. "Nya? What're you doing?"

He finds her in her room, balancing precariously atop the windowsill as she struggles to hang a string of—a string of what looks like colored lights.

"Kai!" she grins, glancing down. "Look what I did! I found all this stuff in the kitchen closet!"

Kai looks like he doesn't know what to do, exactly. He starts by spinning around, admiring Nya's new decorations. She's taken the lightbulbs and painted them different colors, then tied them to a long piece of string and hung them up all over the room.

"We don't really have the electricity for this," Kai says. He would know, too. He'd spent _hours _over the past few months contacting companies and pretending to be an adult, setting up electricity and plumbing and other stuff. They are on a "tight budget", he insists. But that's why Nya crafted her decorations with a responsible mindset.

"Check this out," Nya beams, hopping down off the windowsill and very nearly banging her head on the desk. Kai winces at that, but he follows her to the corner anyway, where the light string trails off to end in a little box-like device.

"Battery powered!" boasts Nya, energetically gesturing to the box. "Go on, look at it!"

Suspicious but still interested, Kai crouches down, gently lifting the tiny plastic box and turning it over. Two batteries sit inside, much too small, but they're pressed against little balls of tinfoil on all sides. He doesn't understand exactly why he feels excited, so he turns to Nya.

"Uh . . . what does it do?"

Like it should be obvious, Nya gives him a disbelieving look, grabbing the box from him. "I found this battery power box in the closet, but we didn't have any batteries big enough to fit. So I just altered it a little! And—look at this."

Nya flips the tiny switch, and the lightbulbs glow in brilliant blues and purples, casting florescent shapes and shadows across the walls. Kai gapes, wondering how the heck Nya designed this, how had she configured her own battery-powered lights? She's a kid, for crying out loud.

"How—I mean, did you—what—" Kai's at a loss for words. The room has a whole new atmosphere now, like his mood has been lifted somehow. The cool-toned light reminds him of being underwater (not that he'd really know; he never had learned to swim). Nya bounces happily from corner to corner, twirling around to admire her work.

She glances at Kai, where he's still grounded to the spot where she left him. He seems impressed, though, and that's all Nya cares about. She's pretty proud of herself, too, if she's being honest. She'd never worked with electricity before, but everything had just . . . made sense. The science of it just clicked. Nya doesn't know how to explain it, but the feeling alone is enough for now.

"So you're, like, smart?" Kai asks, eyebrows high on his forehead as he gawks at her.

Is that a compliment? An accusation? Should she be smiling or should she be offended? Nya can't decide. Instead, she just offers a casual, somewhat oblivious shrug.

"I dunno, I guess so."

Kai blinks. "Okay."

"Okay."

"Make some of these for_ my_ room."

oOo

Kai and Nya grow apart.

Well, okay, not _really_, but the metaphorical distance between them is definitely stretching out as the days go by.

She's heard about stuff like this happening, but she'd never expected it to hit her so suddenly like this.

It makes sense, she guesses. It's been a little more than half a year since they've moved out of Liam's house, and Kai's getting progressively more buried under a mountain of responsibility. Nya tries to help, but he seems to think she shouldn't have to. He wants to do everything by himself, and Nya can see that it's not healthy for him at all.

Kai barely sleeps. She hears him up at all hours of the night, sometimes clanging around in the kitchen, sometimes hammering away at something in the forge. The siblings still see each other every day, she still gets to run the shop with him. But Kai is such a_ dang workaholic._

When he's not working on weapons, he's out finding firewood, making trips to the market, blah blah blah. He doesn't have time to talk to her anymore, or just sit there and read together, or _anything._ Some part of Nya wants to be mad, because this cat won't entertain her forever, she wants her brother around. But then the other part of Nya tells her to be petty about it and then move on. She doesn't need Kai, she can have fun on her own. Just _watch_ her.

So, Nya decides she's independent now. If Kai wants to focus on the shop, fine. She'll start building her own life from the ground up, that's fine, too.

That's why, one day, Nya wakes up earlier than Kai and sneaks right out her bedroom window, diving outside and feeling immensely grateful that their house is only one floor. Her sock-clad feet step quickly over the grass, which has turned a crispy brown with the change in seasons. The morning air is winter-cold, even though it's not actually winter yet. Kai keeps saying he thinks it'll snow soon, but Nya doesn't think so. Day of the Departed hasn't even happened yet.

Ah, yikes, she doesn't want to think about the holiday. Liam never celebrated it, so Nya wonders if she and Kai will do something to honor their parents this year. She hopes so, because at least at Liam's she could see all the lanterns floating away. Their new house is too far away for that.

Nya makes it to the road and takes off at a sprint, casting a hurried glance behind her to make sure Kai hasn't seen her. The shop door is still shut, so that's good.

Instead of taking the road to town, Nya heads the opposite direction and marvels at the sudden change in scenery. Now she can see the surrounding farmland much better, huge patches of rolling green and yellow spreading out to the horizon. There are a few lone cows grazing in the distance, but no sheep yet. Still, she continues on her way, just enjoying the cool air and light breeze.

_Ahhh_, independence. It feels awesome.

After Nya has walked a decent amount of time down the road (sticking close to the side, because she wasn't trying to get _run over_), she catches sight of a homely residence, white paneling standing out against the blue sky backdrop. Her first thought is something along the lines of _never approach a stranger's house_, but then she remembers why she's here.

Nya hesitantly wanders up to the door, which is in the middle of an admittedly envious porch, littered with colorful leaves that have blown off the trees in the front yard. Desperately hoping it's the right house, Nya knocks.

Approximately six seconds later, the knob clicks and the door swings open, revealing a shocked Walter Pine on the other side.

"Nya," he says, as if recalling her name. "A little far from home, aren't you?"

Nya shrugs, suddenly shy. C'mon, this guy is harmless, what's she waiting for? Worst case scenario, he thinks she's being annoying and sends her home.

"Yeah . . . I, uh—I was just wondering—I mean, I just—it's—"

Amusedly, Walter chuckles. "Listen, kid, don't worry. Wanna talk about it over pancakes?"

Pancakes? Sounds pretty appetizing compared to the slightly-burnt toast she's been eating every morning.

"Sure."

Walter must've been in the middle of cooking his breakfast, because there's a pan on the stove and a bowl of batter sitting on the counter. Nya pulls out a chair and sits down, quickly giving the room a once-over. It looks . . . almost exactly how she'd _expected_ a middle-aged bachelor's kitchen to look. Wooden furniture, checkered curtains and mismatched knick-knacks on the shelves, like random trophies and what seems to be a pair of bowling shoes.

Photographs line a wall that Nya can barely see, since it's part of the staircase around a corner. Walter definitely lives alone, because a wife would've never let him keep that ugly forest green wallpaper up.

Walter pours the batter into the pan. It sizzles as he turns to Nya.

"Where's your brother?"

She swings her heels absently, eyes still roaming around the room curiously. "At home. I snuck out."

"Ooh, we've got ourselves a rebel," Walter says, but he's using that tone that adults use when they're trying to make a joke. Eh, oh well. He might not be hilarious, but he's talking to her, which is more than Kai's doing at the moment.

"Yeah. Kai's busy with the—"

_AGH. _Nya's words cut off abruptly when she realizes what she almost gave away. Walter doesn't know they're living alone, he could call Child Protective Services or something! They'd have to go live at a foster home! They'd have to eat porridge and sleep in cots probably!

Nya feels dizzy.

Walter's eyebrows pinch in the middle as he says, "Look, I know you two aren't living with family. I know damn well."

Nya's chest is about to explode from fear or relief, she can't choose one.

He continues. "I'm not gonna tell anybody. Now, I don't know your situation, but I'm serious. You ever need someone to help out, just lemme know, you hear?"

He's not—he's not gonna tell anyone. _Whoosh_—Nya's anxiety flies right out the open window.

"Th—thanks," she manages.

The two of them eat their pancakes in mostly companionable silence, forks clinking and the antique clock ticking away. Every few minutes, when she gathers enough courage, Nya sneaks a glance at Walter where he sits across from her. She attempts to discern what she's feeling right now. It's something . . . warm. Warm and melty and soft. Like . . .

She wants this. Nya wants this every day, for the rest of her life. She wants a nice, cozy farmhouse with checkered curtains and someone to make her blueberry pancakes in the morning. She wants this peace inside of her, she wants it to stay forever.

Stalling, Nya asks if Walter has any books. He smiles, and together they walk to another room, one with a TV and three whole mahogany bookshelves. They're packed full, the bindings facing outwards in an enticing rainbow. Nya abandons all awkwardness and rushes for them, mouth open in an awestruck smile.

She reaches for a book, then quickly retracts her hand. Looking back at Walter, Nya blinks.

"Can I—?"

Walter laughs, shoving his hands in his jean pockets. "I mean, go right ahead, kiddo."

Squealing is for _babies _so Nya doesn't do that, but she _does _bounce a tiny bit, just because this is the coolest day _ever. _And she spends the rest of it on the living room floor of Walter's house. The mound of books grows around her. He has the _best books ever_. Ones about wilderness survival and different kinds of birds and one about fixing cars. Nya doesn't even _have _a car, but the book makes her want one, just so she can break it and fix it.

Walter leaves her to her own devices, only popping in a few times to offer snacks or water. Before long, the sun is sinking lower in the sky, turning the blue to a pale orange. Nya doesn't notice this until Walter pokes his head in the doorway and calls her name.

"Hey, hate to say it, but it's getting kinda late, don't you think?"

Pulling herself out of a story about ancient samurai, Nya shakes her head to clear it. Man, he's right. The sun is setting and—

Holy _swear word_, she's been gone all day! Kai's probably looking for her! Oh _no_, she needs to get home _right the heck now—_

Picking up on her panic, Walter nods his head to the window. "Need a ride?"

"Yes, please!"

So she gets back to Four Weapons in, like, a third of the time it took her to walk to Walter's, and the nice man stops her before she can hop out of the car.

"Forgetting something?" he asks, holding out a book, the red cover worn and embroidered with thin gold detailing. It's the one she'd liked the most, the one about samurai and ancient Ninjago. He's—not _giving _it to her, is he?

"That's—it's not mine," she says.

"It is now." Walter passes her the book, which she takes with reverence, carefully holding it close to her chest.

"I—_thank you_," Nya whispers, meaning it.

"Anytime, kid." And with that, Nya slides out of the passenger seat and Walter drives back down the road, the last rays of sunset glinting off his rear view mirrors.

For a moment, Nya stands there breathless, watching the sun dip below the smooth horizon line. Her skin prickles a bit when the chill of night rolls in, welcomed by the spreading darkness. Some lonely crickets chirp in the bushes. It's . . . probably the most relaxed she's felt in years. She never wants to forget this day. Her day with books and warm houses and a dad . . .

Nothing can ruin this moment. Nothing at all.

Promptly, the front door bursts open so loudly that Nya screams. Kai comes dashing out, looking distressed.

"Nya, what the _heck_—thank _god_—where did you—what were you—_GEEZ_." He cuts off by slamming right into her, both arms going around her in a rib-crushing hug, which she returns. The book is pressed between them, and the corner is jabbing into her stomach, but Kai hasn't hugged her in a while, and she's _missed_ it. Whatever. Sue her.

Nya does give her brother an explanation, and he rattles off a lecture so long that by the time he's done, Nya has fallen asleep in his bed, one arm hanging off the side limply.

Kai rolls his eyes, but smiles. He crawls into the other side, pulling up the blankets so they can stay toasty tonight. One arm goes around his pillow, and he gently drapes the other one over Nya's shoulder.

The movement wakes her, but she stays still. A happy flutter springs to life in her stomach. She misses this. She misses her normal, not-stressed brother.

She wants to reach over and hug him again, but hey, this is the first night he's slept in, like, way too long, so Nya is content to just lie there, eventually drifting off to the rhythmic sound of Kai's heartbeat close to her ear.

oOo

**A/N: thanks for reading!**


	4. In Which Things Are Good For a While

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aka, Nya gets sick and then learns to drive. filling in some backstory with this one! these kids had to learn basic life skills somewhere, didn't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! i've seen some new viewers on this story and realized i haven't updated it in ages. here's a chapter for you! many more to come for those that are interested or actually like the story so far! thanks for sticking around. have a safe and happy holiday season!

The Smith siblings soon discover that they don't really need two people in the shop at all times, especially since the winter months are upon them and most people are staying indoors. Nya doesn't bug Kai about the Day of the Departed holiday—she just sneaks away and lights a single lantern (given to her by Walter) in the backyard, letting it float into the sky, taking a little piece of her with it.

Next comes the snow. There's no warning whatsoever. One morning, it's cloudy and grey, autumn leaves blowing across the road. The next morning, the crystal blue sky is the only color for miles, and the entire countryside is painted a smooth white. Nya's so excited to go outside that she practically rips the door off the hinges, but Kai drags her back in, shoving a hat on her head and tossing a coat at her.

She rolls her eyes. Kai's been acting like a total parent lately, but whatever, she's used to it. Could be worse, she supposes. At least they don't yell or argue like some siblings probably do. It's nice that he cares, but Nya's still adapting to the feeling of someone expressing concern for her. Growing up, Kai was always_ there_, but it wasn't like this. It's like he's adopted the roll of mom_ and_ dad lately, which has gotta be exhausting. She tries to make his job as easy as possible.

While Kai gets the shop opened for the morning, Nya rolls around in the freshly fallen snow, somersaulting around and chucking poorly aimed snowballs at her brother. The atmosphere of winter is different now that they're living outside of Liam's house. The world just seems so much bigger. Weird to think it's always been this big, she's just seeing that for the first time.

Snow keeps falling all morning and afternoon, and that night, Nya joins Kai in front of the fireplace and they snuggle up together under a pile of blankets, because they're not financially stable enough to run the heater yet. But ya know what? Things are good. She's warm. Can't get much better than this.

Except, when Nya wakes up the next morning, something feels a little _off. _She can't pinpoint the exact problem, but she can feel something wrong inside her. There's a dull pain spreading up the back of her neck, probably about to blossom into a headache, and her stomach feels a little weird . . . but that's about it. It's not enough for her to be that concerned about it, so she says nothing. Kai clearly doesn't notice any difference, so it's not bad. She's fine!

She's a little slow today, though. The headache does get progressively worse, creeping up to her head and settling there. While she's lifting the box of tools to clean up her workspace, a sudden sharpness behind her eyes kicks in, and she yelps, dropping everything on the floor. Her vision swims wildly.

Kai stops what he's doing, turning at the sound of harsh clattering.

"What was that -_ whoa,_ Nya, are you okay?"

Nya staggers forward one step, blinking like she'd just been blinded by the sun. Slowly, the world stops spinning and she can see the worried look Kai's giving her.

"Yeah! I just - I saw . . . I saw a spider in there."

For a few tense seconds, it doesn't seem like Kai's going to believe her story, what with the way he's frowning, one eyebrow raised in concern. But then a _literal spider_ scurries across the floor, right between Kai's feet, and he jumps away, chasing after it angrily. Nya marvels at the timing; hopefully the spider survives Kai's wrath, she owes it big time.

Nothing eventful happens the rest of the day, and Nya goes to bed pretending the headache hasn't evolved into a stomachache as well. No need to bother Kai with more problems, he's already swamped as it is. It's probably just a one-day virus, anyway. Everything's all good here, she's never been better!

She wakes up in the middle of the night, heart hammering inside her chest as she tries to breathe. She can't—she _can't breathe_, oh gosh, she's gonna die—

Nya tumbles out of bed, coughing and bracing her hands on the floor. Her chest feels less blocked now that she's not lying down, but it's dark and cold and her whole body is shaking—

Her stomach feels like there's a squirrel inside of it, running around and scratching everything, tearing at her lungs with little sharp claws—

Perhaps alerted by all the sudden noise, Kai comes stumbling in tiredly, raking his hair back with one hand. He sees her on the floor and makes a startled sort of noise, kneeling down next to her. 

"What's wrong, what's wrong?" he asks frantically.

She wants to answer but she can't speak, she can't—she can barely _breathe_, there's_ fire_ inside her lungs—

"Hurts," is the only thing she manages to croak out raggedly, and Kai's panic visibly spikes.

"Can you move?"

Nya's coughing so much that she can't answer him, she just heaves where she's sitting, feeling her throat go raw. But she can't stop, she needs to _breathe—_

She vomits.

oOo

Kai is obviously lost and has no clue what to do, but he cleans up the mess she made and lifts her back into bed (Nya wonders when he got muscles, she doesn't know where they came from). Her body won't stop shaking, and she feels ice on her skin, like she's been stuck in a freezer for a week. But when Kai lays a hand on her forehead, he flinches.

"You're burning up," he says. Nya wants to argue that maybe he's wrong, since he's always warm, but she's really not in any position to talk. The coughing continues relentlessly, an awful sort of rattling that sounds disgusting and horrific, even to Nya's own ears.

But Kai doesn't want to leave the house to go to town and get medicine or help. He seems to think she'll absolutely die if he goes anywhere, but there's not much in the house that is doing any good. He finds some cough syrup, but judging by the aged label, it's not something Nya wants to be swallowing. Kai keeps her hydrated, even though she refuses to eat. Every now and then, when she's not busy hacking up a lung, Nya can drink water.

She's miserable for days, buried under a mound of blankets because the heater still isn't on. Kai drifts in and out of her room, asking how she's doing and does she need anything? But she's hardly present. Nya sleeps most of the time, and when she's awake, the phlegm clogs up her throat so badly that breathing turns into a monstrous chore. Dizziness comes next, then Kai decides she has a fever on top of all that. He doesn't know what's wrong, and he tries to stay calm when he's talking to her. But a few times, when Nya was pretending to be asleep, she's seen Kai pacing the length of her room, looking more terrified than she'd ever seen him.

This is not reassuring, but there's nothing she can do. Nothing except hope it passes and she makes it out okay.

After a full week, Kai decides he needs to open the shop again, because they can't afford to lose any more business. Their budget is already shrinking every day, and now this has set them back a good deal. Nya can't help but feel guilty, even though this is well beyond her control. Kai just looks so _tired_.

For a few more days, whatever sickness she's caught gets worse, and Nya goes 48 hours without eating or drinking anything. The only thing she can do is cough. By now, her throat is red and raw inside, she's worried she might start coughing up blood sometime soon . . . but she hopes desperately Kai won't have to deal with that.

It's so bad that Nya's getting scared. She hasn't left her bed in days, her stomach is empty, her head won't stop throbbing, and she feels freezing cold at all times, even though Kai insists she's roasting hot. Maybe it wouldn't be so terrifying if she could know what the problem is, but there's no way to find out. Not in their current situation, anyway. She tries to mention Walter, because maybe he could help, but she hasn't been able to speak for . . . days. Maybe a week? She doesn't remember. Everything has just passed in a painful, sleepy haze.

Just when things reach their peak, Nya wakes up one morning feeling ten times better. Kai's not in her room, so she blinks for a moment, tentatively clearing her throat to test it out. It hurts (like, a _lot_). Does that mean she still can't talk? The headache is gone . . . and she can breathe fine, for the most part. Nya wants to feel relieved, but she just ends up getting irritated. Stupid freaking _sickness_ and stupid _bacteria. _She's wasted_ days_ just lying here! Kai's had to do everything on his own! He's probably made _himself_ sick from worrying so much!

Expression unamused and not very hopeful, Nya tries a, "Testing, one, two, three." Her voice isn't exactly clear, but it's there! It's THERE, she can_ talk—!_

She flies out of bed, tossing the blankets all over the floor and heading for the hallway. Unfortunately, her extended time in bed has taken away most of her mobility and coordination, and all the blood rushes to her head in a dizzying burst of static, so Nya pauses a moment to grab a chair and steady herself. Man, being sick _sucks. _But it's okay now, because Kai's gonna be so happy she's awake and moving and alive!

When the room doesn't look upside-down anymore, Nya scrambles out of the room and plows into Kai's room down the hall. He's still in bed, curled up under the covers like a hibernating chipmunk. Nya skids to a stop in the doorway. Yeah, she's excited to be feeling better, but . . . gosh, he just looks so peaceful. There's not even the usual crease between his eyebrows, Kai's actually _sleeping soundly_ for once.

Well. Nya can't exactly wake him up right now without feeling really bad about it, so she heads for the kitchen instead. Her stomach's been empty for far too long, but she knows eating too much at once can make her sick all over again, so she doesn't risk it. The only thing she eats is a slightly-brown banana, which isn't all that appetizing. Nya likes her bananas green, but don't tell Kai, he thinks it's weird.

She does him a favor and opens the shop on her own, running it solo for almost a whole hour. She's in the middle of smelting a piece of iron when Kai stumbles in, rubbing sleep from his eyes and still clothed head-to-toe in his pajamas. At first, he doesn't notice her. Then, as he's going through the motions for the morning, he walks past her and stops in his tracks. Kai whirls around.

"Wha—you're up?" he asks.

Nya offers him a smile. "Yup!"

"Are you feeling better, are you okay?"

Eh, Nya's not feeling _fantastic_, but she can walk and speak and that's just fine by her.

"Yeah, I'm great!" Before she can stop herself, Nya bounds over and latches onto her brother in a hug. "Thanks for your help this week," she says. "Love you."

Kai's body goes stiff in her arms. She knows why, too. The two of them care about each other, sure, but normally they don't . . . they don't say it _out loud. _It's the kind of thing they're good at expressing through actions, not words. Plus, Kai's always been awkward about emotions, so they just don't get sentimental with each other (at least, not in actual spoken words). So Nya doesn't blame him for getting tense. She just wanted to say it. Just wanted him to know.

"I—love you, too," Kai manages, sounding maybe a little uncomfortable, but there's a soft sort of genuine meaning in there, too. Nya smiles.

Living on their own is hard, and sometimes it's scary, and most of the time it's unpredictable. But they have each other, and Nya makes weekly visits to Walter's house, where she talks to him about hopes and dreams and life and engineering. Walter lends her more books, which she keeps because he never asks for them back. Kai starts warming up to him, little by little, and life is good. She doesn't feel alone anymore.

oOo

Time is a funny thing. It passes like a jet, just soaring by, and you don't realize it was there until it's gone. A year passes. And another. Nya is twelve. Then she's thirteen. Kai is fifteen now, and he's more responsible and mature than she remembers him being last year. He's taller now, too. Nya's also managed to shoot up a few inches—just enough that Kai can't call her short anymore. Their little house has grown with them, accumulating more possessions and details that make it their own. Walter stops by more often, and soon, he offers to adopt Allie, the kitten that isn't so little anymore. Kai gratefully accepts this offer, but Nya's hesistant.

"I'll take good care of her," Walter insists gently. "I know you two have a lot on your hands."

After some persuading, Nya agrees, but only because she knows she'll be able to visit the cat whenever she wants. Allie has a special place in her heart and Nya takes her time saying goodbye, to which Kai says, "Nya, chill, you'll see her tomorrow."

Life adapts an acceptable pattern. Open the shop in the morning, work all afternoon, close at seven, eat dinner, visit Walter, go to bed. Sundays are blocked off for trips to the market and time to relax. Nya's finally _happy_ with her routine. Living with Kai isn't so bad after all. In fact, she prefers it to living with Liam. Kai is, like, the coolest person ever, and not just because he's built that persona for himself over the years.

Nya develops a firm respect for her older brother, a respect that wasn't there when they were kids. She can joke with him and be herself, and they can talk about anything, but he's also serious, and it's growing on her. All the financing is still largely in Kai's hands, since he won't let Nya mess with that, but he trusts her with more work now. And he'll never admit she's a better blacksmith than him, but honestly? They both know. They just don't say it.

Kai's voice deepens as he grows. He's not squeaky anymore. Nya's hair grows longer for a while again, but surprise, she likes it short, so she lets Kai cut it. He's stuck with his semi-jagged, scruffy look that Nya isn't exactly a fan of, but he likes it, so. To each their own.

Bubble. That's the word for it. The two of them live together in a perfect, opaque bubble, shielded nicely from whatever lies out there in the world. Ignacia is fine, Nya supposes. The people in town are nice enough, and the weather is never all that bad, though they _are_ going through a dry spell right now. Kai is content to live here forever. Nya knows, because he told her so.

She, uh . . . doesn't agree with him on that one. Nya likes it here, but living here forever? Oof, she doesn't know if she could do that. Ninjago is a big place, she kind of wants to explore it someday. Actually, she _plans_ to.

Because Nya has a secret.

Kai doesn't know yet, but Nya's been working on a project for the past year now, urged on by Walter and all the books he's given her. Taking inspiration from folklore and ancient history, Nya has developed a . . . well, what should she call it?

It's a robot, but it's going to be bigger than any old droid. It's gonna be so big that she'll be able to _sit in it. _So really, it's an exoskeleton. A huge, not-quite-functional-yet exoskeleton that's a major work in progress, but Nya knows _exactly_ what she wants. She's known for a while now, but she's afraid Kai will say she's crazy. That's why Walter is the only person in the world that knows about it.

On her next visit, she asks him, "Are you sure it's gonna work?" Her legs dangle off the edge of the porch swing. "It's taking for_ever_."

Walter takes a sip from his glass of lemonade, looking out over his crops with a content sigh. "Good things take time," he says. "Rome wasn't built in a day."

Nya isn't sure where Rome is, but the words make sense. She's just—well, there's a lot of self doubt she's been harboring. She's scared it's taking forever because she's not cut out for a project like this.

"I'm thirteen," Nya says.

"And? What about it?"

Nya leans back, dejectedly. "I dunno. I'm just sc—I mean, I'm just _worried _I won't be able to finish it. What if it's too hard? What if I have to give up?"

Walter is silent as he processes that. Then, "Your parents knew you'd do big things one day, kid. They told me themselves. And I—well I think if there's anyone who can get this thing built, it's you."

The words swell inside Nya's chest. She tries to hide her smile and fails.

"Thanks."

"Anytime. No matter what anyone tells you, you never give up, understand? You're doing a good thing. Get what you want, take no shit."

"Take no shit," Nya repeats, nodding to herself. Ha, Kai would kill her for using words like that, but Walter lets her say them. He's taken an oath to keep it between just them.

Allie mews from the ground and Nya picks her up, stroking the rust-colored fur with one hand. It's weird not having her around the house anymore, but Walter seems to enjoy the company, so Nya will allow it.

She enjoys that night with Walter, talking softly while they swing back and forth, watching the sun slip below the horizon. Ignacia has the best sunsets, that's what Walter always says. He's right. The sky looks prettier every night, with its warm oranges and brilliant purples. Makes her feel like melted gold has been streaked across the sky.

When Nya was a kid, there was always that missing piece, that empty spot inside her. When she's with Walter, she doesn't feel it. Sometimes Kai joins them for the sunsets, and when they're all sitting there together, Kai's arm around her shoulders and Allie curled up in her lap . . . Nya feels complete. No more holes or hollowness or confusion.

Just warm happiness and fulfillment she's learned to look forward to on nights like these.

After all those years of longing for what she couldn't have, Nya can't express how amazing it is to _have that. _To have something constant, something she can come back to when things get hard. She's lucky to have an adult in her life that doesn't throw things or slam doors or break plates. Walter is just _Walter_.

A genuine, radiant presence that gives her a home and a purpose. He believes in her and talks about her parents. His eyes shine when he looks at her, like she's making him proud somehow. Nya doesn't understand it, but she never wants it to stop.

In the coming weeks, Walter lets Nya drive his truck around a little, and turns out, driving is _fun _and Nya _loves it. _When Kai finds out about this, he nearly has an aneurism on the spot, but then Walter asks if Kai wants to drive, too, and Kai can't say no. Nya finds this amusing.

By the end of that week, Nya and Kai can both drive pretty decently, though they don't know the rules of the road yet. Walter tells them it's a life skill, they can drive with him anytime.

Kai likes Walter much more after that.

Nya keeps working on her samurai suit, stealing scrap metal from Kai and obtaining nuts and bolts from Walter.

So, yeah, stuff is going pretty swell. Nya hops from one day to the next, learning new skills whenever she can, just to pass the time. Walter teaches her how to hotwire and make pancakes. She furthers in writing, learns a lot of math and decides she likes science, too. Sometimes she watches videos on his TV about gymnasts, and soon she's learning to backflip and somersault. Granted, she's not very good at it, at first, but she gets better. Walter watches her cartwheel around his backyard.

"Watch your form!" he chides lightly, chuckling. Nya tosses him a breathless thumbs-up.

Mornings and afternoons are for the business, nights are for having fun. Kai and Nya adjust to this routine rather readily. The two of them grow closer than they'd been as kids, now that they're teenagers and can relate on more levels. Kai's also more protective than he used to be, but Nya assumes it's just because he's older and feels responsible for her. In a way, she feels like it should be the other way around, since her brother isn't the _brightest bulb in the shed_, if you catch her drift.

They look out for each other, that's all. When you grow up with only one person you can trust in the world, you tend to stick close to their side at all times. And you don't want anything to happen to them, because it if did, you'd be alone and without the person you love the most. Nya understands this, so she doesn't complain much when Kai goes all parental on her.

Unless he's being downright unreasonable, in which case she doesn't hesitate to knock some sense into him, don't worry.

Their bubble is a pretty dang good place to be, right about now. Nya can't complain, anyway. She's surrounded by people that care about her, and being older makes the business thing so much easier. People definitely aren't judging them as much. Nya's a teenager now, she's _mature._

Speaking of which, she doesn't sleep in Kai's room anymore. She's grown comfortable being alone in her own room, knowing no angry men are going to break down the door and strangle her in her sleep.

Okay, she's had a few particularly scarring nightmares, and Kai's had to talk her down from a lot of emotional ledges, but besides that, she's fine! She even installs a secret compartment in the forge, accessible by twisting Kai's anvil _just _right. She stores all her personal weapons in the compartment, and _no_, Kai doesn't know about it because he'd flip.

(Not literally, of course, since he's not very good at gymnastics.)

Anyway. Nya's happy, that's all that matters. She has Kai and Walter and Allie. Orange sunsets, fluffy pancakes, wooden porch swings. What else could she want right now? Nothing, that's what.

So Nya and Kai continue on, sleeping peacefully every night, blissfully oblivious to the impending dangers that lay in the distant future.


End file.
